HENRY THE HATTER CELEBRATES 130 YEARS

by John Russel Jones Jan 26, 2023

Detroit’s Henry The Hatter celebrates 130 years in the retail hat trade. One of the city’s oldest retailers, Henry’s is also the oldest retail hat store in the United States. Beginning in 1893, and continuing today, Henry The Hatter has one of the Midwest’s widest selections of hats and caps.

(Top image: The retailer’s Broadway location, circa the early 1970s)

Store Exterior at 49 Library Street at Gratiot Avenue, 1893.

The retailer has weathered every war, depression, recession, and riot for 130 years, including two pandemics.

“Heck, we were nearly taken out by the nosedive of the popularity of western hats back around the time of Urban Cowboy,” quips owner and general manager Joe Renciewicz.

Celebratory advertisement from 1944.

For the generations of customers who have followed the store throughout the years, plans are to have a selection of hats and caps with special pricing each month in 2023 to commemorate this 130th Anniversary celebration.

One Reply to “HENRY THE HATTER CELEBRATES 130 YEARS”

  1. $20 for a hat in 1893! Who could afford that 130 years ago! No Babe Ruth or Lebron James.

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